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Another reason that America is in the predicament it is what I call the "Rockefeller Syndrome". Just because one man made it from newspaper boy to the richest man in the USA, the illusion has taken hold that anyone can do this. As a result there are hardly any social services and 10 % of the population lives below the poverty line.

"No one believes that the rich should be subject to lower rates than low- and middle-income taxpayers."

May I humbly suggest that the authors are overlooking two significant groups who may possibly believe exactly that. The first is the rich themselves, and the second is those who would helping them along their way. (I'm thinking lawmakers and influential policy analysts).

Both mainstream Republicans and mainstream Democrats belong to the second group, and the Clinton and Bush clans belong to both groups at once. I suspect Trump does as well.

If leaders drawn from such a pool are to lead the kind of reform described in this article, the authors should expect much kicking and screaming, sabotage, etc.

Regardless of the stump speeches, does anyone really expect serious tax reforms within the next five years? Our congress could never muster enough political courage for something like that, even if the next president could (which is pretty unlikely in itself).

Economic reform won't start until the wealthy, having run out of alternative targets, begin to mug each other.

If the 'poor' of the US believe taxing the rich, which is overdue, will solve their problems they are in for a very rude awakening. They need to look at the national debt. Doubling the national debt in nominal terms to get back to where you where is not an acheivement. Nobody in their right mind would think you could tax the rich to fill that hole. The implication is a further collective drift downwards with time. Enjoy

How can the present disenfranchised situation be a surprise when the very premise of American capitalism is that one can become unashamedly filthy rich without paying any dues by being able to cleverly rig the system; until people realize this means the rest of us is going get flushed down the Chinese dunny.
But the consequence of the adulation of the rich and wealthy is that people just don't have a very sophisticated view of the means or purpose of taxation. The ideal is to not pay any at all, and if we must make it as simple as possible. Countries where socialism did not become a dirty word had the chance to explore the many ways and reasons of the different forms taxation and the need for it to be balanced between incomes groups so people pay to their ability, and nobody is left out on the street.
In America however the poor are blamed for their lot as the middle class accepts the"trickle down" fairy tale. In a society defined by extremes it's hard to turn a healthy balance that will benefit all, or to reform a political system into one that benefits all instead of this "winner take all" contest between opposite interest groups,.

See also:

In the first year of his presidency, Donald Trump has consistently sold out the blue-collar, socially conservative whites who brought him to power, while pursuing policies to enrich his fellow plutocrats.

Sooner or later, Trump's core supporters will wake up to this fact, so it is worth asking how far he might go to keep them on his side.

A Saudi prince has been revealed to be the buyer of Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi," for which he spent $450.3 million. Had he given the money to the poor, as the subject of the painting instructed another rich man, he could have restored eyesight to nine million people, or enabled 13 million families to grow 50% more food.

While many people believe that technological progress and job destruction are accelerating dramatically, there is no evidence of either trend. In reality, total factor productivity, the best summary measure of the pace of technical change, has been stagnating since 2005 in the US and across the advanced-country world.

The Bollywood film Padmavati has inspired heated debate, hysterical threats of violence, and a ban in four states governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party – all before its release. The tolerance that once accompanied India’s remarkable diversity is wearing thin these days.

The Hungarian government has released the results of its "national consultation" on what it calls the "Soros Plan" to flood the country with Muslim migrants and refugees. But no such plan exists, only a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign to help a corrupt administration deflect attention from its failure to fulfill Hungarians’ aspirations.

French President Emmanuel Macron wants European leaders to appoint a eurozone finance minister as a way to ensure the single currency's long-term viability. But would it work, and, more fundamentally, is it necessary?

The US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel comes in defiance of overwhelming global opposition. The message is clear: the Trump administration is determined to dictate the Israeli version of peace with the Palestinians, rather than to mediate an equitable agreement between the two sides.